Israel remands Canadian in alleged attack plot

December 16, 2003 — 11.00am

An Israeli military court yesterday ordered that a Palestinian-Canadian charged with plotting to carry out attacks against Jews in North America be held without bail.

A lawyer for Jamal Akal, 23, denied Israeli accusations that his client was recruited by the Islamic militant group Hamas and underwent training in bomb-making and firing automatic rifles during a visit to the Gaza Strip.

Dressed in a brown prison uniform, Akal arrived with hands and feet shackled at a court at Israel's Erez Crossing to the Gaza Strip.

Advertisement

Akal, a naturalised Canadian arrested by Israel's Shin Bet security agency in November after visiting his Gaza birthplace, kept silent during the hour-long hearing in which he was remanded for a further eight days.

A defence lawyer said Akal gave a false confession after being interrogated for 20 hours a day during a two-week period and that his statement was obtained under duress.

Relations between Israel and Canada were strained when Israel's embassy in Ottawa leaked details of Akal's arrest, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Canadian government.

Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham expressed concern that the leaks would prejudice the case against Akal.

Akal has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and receiving illicit military training to take part in a Hamas plot to "assassinate a senior Israeli official in the US and attack members of the US and Canadian Jewish communities".

A charge sheet alleged that a Hamas member approached Akal in Canada and asked him to carry out attacks against Jewish targets in North America. It said he then travelled to Gaza where he was trained. Akal's family has denied the allegations and expressed concern the confession was obtained under torture.

Hamas has denied involvement, saying it limits attacks to Israeli targets in the Jewish state and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, has spearheaded a suicide bombing campaign during three years of violence.